محمدعلی فیروزی

Increasing urbanization has brought various consequences for cities, which has become the basis for many social and economic difficulties and damages. Therefore, due to these harmful consequences, for years, policy makers and managers at the macro level and in the city scale; They seek to find healing strategies. In this regard, among the most important strategies based on the impressive capabilities of information and communication technology, in order to create a productive and effective city; and it has been proposed to solve the problems of cities in the world; It is a "smart city"; And in this framework, they have tried to build a platform, including in building the institutional capacity of such cities The main goal of the present research is to identify the basic components affecting the institutional capacity in order to realize a smart city; and evaluating the current situation of Ahvaz metropolis from the perspective of these components. This research is question-oriented, which was carried out by following an exploratory method in answering the research questions. The statistical population of the study was experts working in offices and companies of Ahvaz city whose organization was involved in the process of smartening this city; Or will be. The statistical sample of the research was 380 people, and the samples were selected by snowball and supervised network sampling. Since the exact number of the statistical population was not known, the KMO test, sampling adequacy and Rasko's rules were confirmed. The research tool was a five-point Likert electronic questionnaire, whose items were designed based on 29 components extracted from 114 scientific documents and valid research.The extracted data were analyzed by exploratory factor analysis and one-sample t-test and Friedman statistical tests.Based on the research results, respectively, the components of superior institutions, the use of information and communication technology in improving environmental quality, smart governance, the use of information and communication technology in economics and business, the power of organizational actors; And institutional readiness is in poor condition. In the meantime, the government and the oil institutions are of strategic importance.

Following the accelerated urbanization process and its various consequences, housing and a few other things became one of the issues facing the city and urban management. Poverty, inequality, and the inability of some groups to provide adequate housing, and the shortcomings of the urban planning and management system in creating the necessary conditions for these groups to enjoy adequate housing have led to informal settlements. In order to gather information to gain the necessary theoretical insight and review the literature on the subject, documentary and library methods and 12389 blocks taken from the data of the Statistics Center of Iran in 2016 have been exerted. In addition, the method of structural interaction analysis has been exploited to investigate the extent and how the factors affect, and finally, to identify the key factors influencing the future status of urban low-income settlements. In scenario-based planning, attempts are made to discover ways to influence the future consequences of these choices by understanding the implications of today's choices. In order to work accurately at this stage, 30 experts (urban planning and urban management) and executives (in executive bodies, such as road and urban planning, municipality and management and planning) were considered, and finally, defined for 16 key factors, based on the scenario perspective.Using Wizard scenario software analysis, 2 strong scenarios, 7 believable scenarios, and 109 weak scenarios were extracted. Possible situations for the agent were different from other factors and their only common feature is the existence of a range of desirable and undesirable situations, some of which are divided into two and three situations according to the key conditions.

After the three eras of agriculture, industry and information, the sky of the virtual age over the heads of humans has covered the vast umbrella of human geography in every corner of the boundless earth. The fourth technological revolution is a reality that has and will affect all city and urban structures in the world. In this regard, "crypto cities" and "metaverse cities" are two technological phenomena affected by this revolution and based on technologies such as blockchain, cryptocurrency, etc., which have attracted attention in the advanced world, and even in this direction, measures have been initiated. According to the twenty-year vision of Iran's development, which aims to gain the first place in the region for the country, and in line with the country's development laws, which includes the urban economy and the development of technologies required for urban management along with the knowledge economy this axis is emphasized in Iran. Also, based on the horizon of the document of the Iranian Islamic model of progress as an upstream document, in 1450 AH, Iran should be among the five leading countries in the world in the production of thought and technology, and from a knowledge-based and self-based economy based on rationality, justice and Islamic spirituality and one of the ten largest economic powers in the world; Therefore, logically- by designing such a vision- one cannot ignore the phenomenon of the fourth technological wave and its manifestations, i.e. crypto cities and metaverse cities that are rising. But the problem of this research is that until now, due to the importance of metaverse cities in the future of the country, this phenomenon has not been addressed from different points of views. Therefore, it is clear that there is a significant gap in the research done inside the country. This research, due to the importance of the topic, aimed to answer the following questions: what are the consequences of moving towards the metaverse cities for Iran? what issues should be taken into consideration in the planning of the future metaverse cities of Iran? what are the causal conditions that justify the establishment of Metaverse cities in Iran? what strategies and solutions (measures) are necessary for the purpose of guiding and measures for the future metaverse cities of the country?Also, the document of the Iranian Islamic model of progress is considered as an upstream document; Therefore, as a rule and logically, it has a very high influence in the future metaverse cities of the country. Therefore, other question is that: what points can be obtained from the document of the Iranian Islamic model of progress in relation to the measures for the proper management of the future metaverse cities of the country?

Methology:

This article is fundamental. It is question-oriented and it is done in document and library method. Also, it is qualitative research, which is exploratory through the qualitative content analysis method, and it is done in the framework of the grounded theory method. The statistical sample of the research includes a range of documents and scientific studies related to the central topic of the research which used the available sampling method.

Based on research findings, metaverse cities will have consequences for the country. In this connection, in the case of proper management and appropriate measures, this wave will have more positive consequences than negative consequences. Also, in terms of intervening conditions, culture and cultural policies, especially in the field of virtual space, the culture of Technology acceptance, the dominant philosophy of Technology policy (technorealism, neoladism, and techno-utopianism), the state of establishment of the fourth technological wave paradigm, and the state of establishment of the participation-oriented paradigm, sustainable development, knowledge-based development and strengthening the city's integrity are considered non-technical intervention conditions. In relation to technical categories, the state of information and communication Technology components including infrastructure (computers, transmission networks, internet, etc.), application software, manpower and Technology management in the framework of indicators such as processing, bandwidth, user experience, connectivity, e-commerce, programming languages, network and computer architecture and storage resources, based on research findings, as intervening conditions in the establishment of metaverse cities in Iran are discussed. Background conditions are special conditions that affect strategies and solutions. These are a combination of technical conditions, jurisprudential bases, legal bases and monetary policies. In connection with the technical conditions, we can refer to the 8 enablers of metaverse Technology including: network, edge/cloud, artificial intelligence, computer vision, blockchain, internet of things and robotics, user interaction and augmented reality and 6 pillars of the metaverse ecosystem including: avatar, content production , virtual economy, social acceptance, security and privacy, and trust and responsibility centered on the 4 basic components of blockchain metaverse cities, virtual currency, exchangeable token and social interactions (social networks). Besides these conditions, jurisprudential bases, legal bases and monetary and currency policies of the country - based on research findings - are the background conditions that should be considered in strategies and solutions. Causal conditions also specify the categories that are related to the conditions for creating the central category. Based on research findings, integration in policy making, legislation, planning, implementation and monitoring, in other words integrated management and measures are the most important causal conditions in this field. According to the contextual, intervening categories, as well as the consequences and disadvantages of metaverse cities (in case of inappropriate management and measures) were raised. Strategies and solutions in line with appropriate management and measures of metaverse cities can be divided into two categories: technical and non-technical.

Based on the results of the research, considering the conditions mentioned in the research, including integration in policy making, legislation, planning, implementation and monitoring, it is possible to achieve metaverse cities in the country with social, economic, cultural and environmental low consequences. Also, in the Iranian Islamic Model of Progress document, three paragraphs in the measures section are dedicated to virtual space; In total, the following points, based on the results of the research, were used in order to take advantage of the measures in order to achieve the worthy leadership of the country's future in addition to the above-mentioned points: 1) accepted metaverse city; It is a healthy, useful, safe and ethical space based on Iranian Islamic values, culture and identity, and is a fair space in which justice has been observed in exploiting the virtual opportunity;2) The future metaverse cities of the country should be in line with promoting local knowledge, developing the country, providing security and increasing the resilience of infrastructure; this matter will be done with public participation and international cooperation;3) Metaverse city can be a platform for promoting creative and cultural industries in accordance with the national and local capabilities of Iran in which norming, promotion and expansion of Islamic culture and values ​​of Iran has been done considering the demand of the regional and global audience.

The global economy is witnessing an increase in the level of competition between companies and countries and consequently cities. Therefore, the future of countries and cities is directly dependent on the degree of their competitiveness in economic indicators, especially competitiveness. In this regard, in today's competitive world where cities are trying to outdo each other in various fields, urban tourism, branding and marketing for tourism purposes has also become an arena for cities to compete. The brand of a city in tourism is the winning edge of a city in economic and social competition and a strategic tool to increase the competitiveness, credibility, power and influence of cities. Therefore, in society today, creating and maintaining an urban brand and in this context, positive imagery and reputation promotion along with emotional attraction to travel to the desired city, is one of the basic points considered by city managers and is a topic in which success It can bring prosperity, prosperity and prosperity to the inhabitants while keeping the cities alive. Therefore, it is in this context that The variables of fame and emotional attraction of traveling to a place and proportional promotion of the position of these two variables are among the most important factors in effective branding and creating an attractive image of the destination for the purpose of tourism development and attracting tourists and consequently gaining capital. according to this, The present article examines the relationship between fame and emotional appeal of traveling to the metropolis of Ahvaz and also determines the position of this city in corresponding of these two variables in comparison with other metropolises of the country.

This research is in the field of behavioral geography. The research method is descriptive-analytical and applied in terms of purpose. In doing so, statistical analysis of Kendall Tao and Spearman correlation and location reputation matrix and SPSS and Excel software have been used. While the, to confirm the use of the two non-parametric tests mentioned above and to measure the significance of the variables in this framework, the Kalmogorov-Smirnov statistical test was used. The data collection tool was a researcher-made electronic questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale, the validity of which was confirmed by professors and its reliability was confirmed by using Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 79%. The statistical population of the study consists of people who have never traveled to the metropolis of Ahvaz; In this regard, by combining cluster snowball sampling methods and supervised network, 627 questionnaires were received.

Based on the research findings, finally, this study identified the position of place reputation in relation to emotional attraction in four main groups; And provided solutions in accordance with the position obtained. According to the research findings, there is a positive relationship between the fame of Ahvaz metropolis and the emotional attraction of traveling to this city, and the current situation of this city is in a quarter of losers and is not appropriate. The order of extreme heat, dust, destruction and war, deprivation, sewage and bad smell, urban chaos and traffic, lack of infrastructure, lack of security, cultural problems and ethnicity and dirty city are the most important imagine that have caused this situation in the city. This situation and such imagins, which are deeply rooted in the facts, have been the result of policies and, in other words, the dominant view in the body of the metropolis of Ahvaz from management at all levels to the citizens of this city; Also, on a macro-scale national scale we must overcome the Dominance of the centralist view, the success of the central and peripheral landscape, the historical emphasis on the oil-based mono-product economy, and the mere exploitative view of oil-rich provinces, Lack of environmental priority and sustainable development, Lack of a grand brand strategy national, regional and so on.

In the context of the principles of behavioral geography related to branding, the destination image can be considered as a set of knowledge, feelings, ideas, expectations and feelings that people have about a place. The destination image is a multidimensional structure that has three basic cognitive, emotional, and motivational dimensions. The cognitive dimension includes a person's knowledge and beliefs about the physical characteristics of the destination. The emotional dimension involves evaluating the quality of one's emotions in relation to physical characteristics and the environment. The motivational dimension is considered corresponding to the behavior and originates from the cognitive and emotional dimensions. Based on the above analysis, by promoting the environment within the framework of a branding macro strategy, and alongside and thereby, increasing cognition; And at a higher level, believing people and putting pressure on it, can increase the positive reputation and then, increase the emotional appeal of traveling to this city and ultimately increase the motivation and attract more tourists and thus increase the competitive capacity. And attracted more capital in this metropolis compared to other metropolises in the country; The result will be the attraction of capital and the achievement of sustainable development, according to the majority of urban planning experts. Finally, based on the findings of research, discussion and conclusions, solutions were presented in three areas: scientific domain, metropolitan area and macro area of branding.

Analyzing the structure and morphological patterns of the urban network has a fundamental role in the understanding of the population distribution process and the communication and service patterns of the urban system in the regional area. Considering this importance, in this research, an attempt has been made to analyze the morphological structure of the urban network in Khuzestan province. Analytical indicators of the research are to identify the structure and morphological patterns of the distance of population nodes and the hierarchy of the communication network in the Khuzestan province. Net draw and Uci NET flow and network analysis software were used for data analysis. The results show that based on the distance index of population nodes in the province, the morphological pattern of the urban network is linear-circular, radial and network. Meanwhile, according to the intra-regional communication network index, the dominant pattern of the urban network is linear-circular, which forms a network pattern by increasing the functional range of the communication network. The results of the research show that the majority of the urban network in Khuzestan province is small and medium in size and in close distances they have a linear morphological pattern, and with the increase in the distance of geographical centers and the functional scope of the communication network due to the presence of several dominant cities such as Ahvaz and Dezful, A network pattern is formed around the axis of these cities in the morphology of the urban network of the province

Investigating the morphology of the urban network in a geographical space is done in the framework of achieving the goal of balancing the land use. As the center of concentration of population, capital, flow of goods, services, innovation, etc., cities play an important role in planning as an element of space balance in regional and national scales. The balanced organization of space is possible with the scientific understanding of urban network morphology because the organization of spatial forms is formed through urban communication at different spatial levels. The urban network of Khuzestan province has been formed on the basis of different environmental, economic and social diversity. The existence of various spaces has caused diversity in the function and role of cities (port, commercial, basic energy industry) of the province. In this regard, the dispersion of cities in the macro-geographical level along with the diversity in role and function has affected the urban morphology. In this research, by analyzing the morphological structure of the urban network of Khuzestan province based on the variables of the distance between the population nodes and the communication network, the relationship between the types of morphological patterns and the performance of the cities is discussed.

This research is practical and has been done with "descriptive-analytical" method. The data has been collected from library documents and data, providing at the provincial and national institutions. To draw and analyze the morphology of the Khuzestan urban network in two separate parts, the communication network index based on service-based relationships as well as the distance of population nodes (cities) in the spatial area of Khuzestan province has been used. To analyze the data and draw the morphology of the urban network of the province in two dimensions of the communication network and the distance of the nodes from three Gower functions; Closeness and Varimax have been used in UciNET and Net Draw software.

In the findings section, the morphological patterns of the urban network of the province were analyzed based on the distance of population nodes in three radii of 10, 30 and 50 km, based on which it was determined that the reason for the formation of the linear pattern is due to the small size of the cities. It is mostly seen in the central, western and southern parts of the province. In this pattern, the absence of dominant cities near small cities is influential, which is an important reason for the formation of a linear pattern in the near distance for the cities of Khuzestan province, which are mostly small in size. In the analysis of urban network morphology based on the distance between nodes, network and ring patterns have been formed when dominant cities such as Ahvaz and Dezful metropolises have played a role in the urban network structure and the morphological structure of the urban network of the province. In the formation of the linear-circular pattern, the main factor was the large distance between the cities of the province in the central, northern and southern and western-eastern parts.
In the analysis of urban network morphology based on intra-provincial communication network, three radii of 30, 50 and 80 km were considered and analyzed. In the analysis of urban network morphology based on intra-provincial communication network, three radii of 30, 50 and 80 km were considered and analyzed. Similar to the node distance index, in the communication hierarchy index, in close distances, most of the cities have found a linear pattern due to their small size, and their morphological ring is due to the existence of dominant cities such as Ahvaz, Dezful and Ramshir, which are nearby cities. To them, they obey them in communication interactions as communication nodes. As the distance increases, network polygons in all four corners of the province with dominant cities such as Ahvaz, Dezful, Abadan and Bandar Mahshahr and connecting cities such as Hamidiyeh, Shush, Shushtar, Andimshek and Suleiman Mosque and Behbahan form the morphology of the urban network of the province. They give a grid shape.

The results of this research using the mentioned two indices, i.e. the distance between population nodes and the intra-regional communication network pattern, showed that from the point of view of focal waste index or geographical nodes, based on the dominant patterns in the theoretical literature presented for urban network morphology, three dominant morphological patterns were obtained in the urban network of Khuzestan province, which were linear-circular, radial and network patterns. While from the point of view of the communication network pattern index, the dominant morphological pattern for the urban network of the province was linear-circular, which with increasing the functional radius of the communication network, a network pattern is formed in the morphology of the urban network of the province. Examining the existing approaches and the background of the research shows that the best model for evaluating successful urban morphology is a network model with strong and synergistic links of two-way and multi-way interactions between the urban network, and the weakest morphological models are linear and radial models or center around It is a sign of the hierarchy and centrality of the structure, communication and function of the cities of a region. In this regard, a finding of this research made it clear that multi-dimensional and multi-functional interaction is not dominant in the urban network of Khuzestan province, and strong nuclei such as Ahvaz and Dezful form a circular pattern to meet needs and demand, and a linear pattern is also the pattern that governs relations and The communication between the small cities of the province is in close and even medium distances, and this type of pattern itself shows the poverty of having a proper, complementary and decisive position for the cities of the province to take an interactive, service and communication role suitable for themselves and their sphere of influence. Considering the importance of studying the structure, function and morphological patterns of the urban network in regional development and its role in the analysis and development of approaches based on sustainable land use, the present study from a morphological point of view was able to, according to the available data, based on Indexes of node distance and communication network to analyze the urban network of Khuzestan province. In this regard, future studies can analyze the urban network of the province and the interactions and functions of the urban network by relying on more and more diverse indicators such as the role of physical structure and also the pattern of dominant activities in the regional area.

Nowadays, with the increasing development of cities and increasing traffic, crowding, pollution, etc., public parking spaces are considered one of the most important infrastructures of the transportation system. The shortage of parking space, especially in the central zone of metropolises, can affect the traffic congestion and the quality of urban life. Therefore, the present research has addressed the condition of its parking spaces by investigating one of the important problems in the central district of ahvaz metropolis. This study is an applied research with a descriptive-analytical approach. It is also a survey research. The research population included 300 people and the sample size (169 people) was selected through the Cochran formula by directly referring to the selected parking lots. Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.833) has been calculated for the reliability of the questionnaire, which indicates the accuracy, reliability, and internal consistency of the results. Seven indicators: area capacity, availability of facilities, access status, security status, beauty status, entrance fee, and cleaning status were selected to evaluate the busy parking lots located in the study area and necessary analysis was done using shannon entropy. The results showed that Karun, Refah, Alireza, and Azadegan parking lots are ranked first second, and last with the final priority coefficients of 0.0574 and 0.0504, respectively.

Today, smart cities are a new paradigm in the global urban planning system. Based on the capabilities of information and communication technology, these smart cities try to improve the quality of life in places which are immersed in numerous problems with social, economic, environmental and other dimensions. However, a comprehensive, multidimensional, complex smart city is based on the urban planning paradigm of complexity and chaos which can lead to successful planning and management. The present study, from the perspective of modern chaos theory, is aimed to formulate strategic requirements for the realization of the smart city in Ahvaz metropolis.

This article is in the category of applied-developmental research, which is question-based. It has been accomplished using bibliographic and survey method, using exploratory factor analysis, one-sample t-test and Friedman ranking test in SPSS software. The survey instrument was a 5-point Likert questionnaire whose final content validity was confirmed by professors and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.906. The statistical population consist of the experts of the institutions involved in the smartening process of Ahvaz metropolis. A combination of clustered snowball sampling methods and monitored network was used in this research. Finally, 380 questionnaires were completed. The adequacy of the number of samples was confirmed by KMO method.

Based on the findings of the research, in relation to the theory of chaos, it is possible to conclude that Ahvaz metropolis is affected by the non-linear effect in the smartening process; also, the butterfly effect is significant in this metropolis. Moreover, in connection with the modulating variable of the power of universities and research institutes, sensibly, it can be accepted that the condition of this component is also not inappropriate. Using Friedman’s ranking test, the authors ranked the components and indicators including the butterfly effect of social and ethnic pluralism, social moderators, steady flow of energy, people, non-linear effect, variable modulating power of universities and research institutes, contexts, structural forces, institutional forces. Finally, the use of communication and information technology capabilities in promoting environmental quality (motivators) are located.

Based on the results of the research, nonlinear effects govern the process of smart city development in Ahvaz significantly. This implies that a nonlinear system, influenced by variables such as conflicting interests, developmental contradictions, ownership conflicts, and the level of technology acceptance by the public, dominates the realization of the smart city in Ahvaz. These factors have led to turbulent conditions in this metropolis. In this context, the impact of two key factors, namely, government and oil, on this process and system, as well as the central-peripheral dynamics shaped in the country, particularly in connection with the oil-rich city of Ahvaz, cannot be overlooked. As many researchers have emphasized in their studies, the government has commercialized money and capital in the cities through the vast banking system. It has helped the expansion of cities and urbanization more than ever. This extensive and unmatched influence of the government originates above all from the way of obtaining its revenue sources, i.e. the export of crude oil, the resulting national surplus has an important contribution to the accumulation of capital and expanding reproduction in the economic process of the country. In such an atmosphere, the military creation of the center and the periphery has caused the emergence of an unbalanced national development model. Therefore, as observed in the analytical research model, the government and oil entities, in addition to their impact within the framework of internal structural institutions of the Ahvaz metropolis, are considered external influential factors in the overall drivers of smart city realization in Ahvaz. The presence of these two entities, due to their interactions with each other and the factors of conflicting interests, developmental contradictions, ownership conflicts, and the level of technology acceptance by the public, intensifies the nonlinear effects in the process of smart city development in Ahvaz. Inside, the stimuli have stimulated the drives and the drivers - based on the theoretical foundations of smart cities - with the goal of achieving a more efficient, sustainable, livable and fairer city in an urban framework with dimensions of smart environment, smart life, smart economy, smart mobility, smart governance and smart people to mobilize resources and facilities. But in the meantime, the factor of social and ethnic pluralism as a factor with a butterfly effect can be effective in this movement from drivers to a smart city. Also, in this transformation, two social moderator variables and the power of universities and research institutes are effective in this movement. In addition, the internet access flows as a constant flow of energy on the entire system.

Nowadays, the intelligent use of technology as an efficient strategy to improve environmental quality, especially in the cities of advanced countries, is on the agenda. In this process, measuring the current situation is considered the first step towards using technology to improve environmental quality. However, the problem is that such a measurement has not been done in the Ahvaz metropolis. Therefore, the aim of the research is to measure the current situation of the Ahvaz metropolis in terms of using technology to improve environmental quality. This research is an applied-developmental problem-oriented study that follows an exploratory approach by using the document library and survey data collection methods. The Kolmograph-Smirnoff, Shapiro-Wilk, TT sample, and Friedman ranking tests were used for analyzing the data. The survey tool was a 5-point Likert questionnaire, whose final content validity and reliability were confirmed by the professors' opinion and Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.893, respectively. The statistical community of the research consisted of experts. The sampling method was a two-stage cluster, through which 142 samples of academic experts were selected. Considering that the number of the statistical population is not known, this sample size is sufficient according to Rasko's rules. Based on the findings of the research, following a passive and deterministic attitude, which is under the influence of centralist policies in the framework of the center-periphery system and the political economy based on oil rent, has caused not only the use of technology in this metropolis not be done to improve the quality environmental protection, but it has also created many problems in Ahvaz metropolis, especially environmental problems. In the end, some solutions were suggested based on the research findings.

Today, the "smart growth" strategy has been proposed as a new and comprehensive pattern of urban planning in the world, in order to solve the problem of sprawl urban growth due to relentless urbanization. The metropolis of Ahvaz, which has always suffered from the consequences of such growth in recent years, can not be an exception to this pattern. Therefore, due to the importance of the subject, this study aimed to measure and rank the metropolitan regions of Ahvaz in terms of compliance with smart urban growth indicators. The type of research is applied with a descriptive-analytical method based on documentary studies and field observations. The statistical population of the study was Ahvaz metropolitan regions. As a result of documentary studies, 82 indicators were selected within the framework of 4 physical criteria - land use, socio-economic, access - transportation and environment and the data were extracted using available sources. The data were then analyzed using a combination of Shannon entropy weighting method and ELEKTRE technique. Based on the research results, there is a significant difference between Ahwaz metropolitan regions in terms of appropriateness to smart urban growth indicators; In this regard, District 5 of Ahvaz metropolis has poor conditions, so compared to other areas of the metropolis, it deserves more serious attention. Finally, based on the research findings, solutions were proposed.

By strengthening social attitudes and urban design in the last decade of the 20th century, i.e. at the eve of the third millennium, public transport development has been introduced as the most comprehensive view, though the inefficient public transport system is ineffective in many developing countries. Many factors are involved in such inefficiency, one of which is political-management factor. The present study is to investigate and analyze the political-management barriers to public transport development in Ahvaz metropolis. The study employs applied-theoretical and descriptive-analytical research methods as well as survey data collection research technique. The research data was collected through documentary, library, survey techniques and interviewing with people and experts. The statistical population of this study consisted of 15 experts and experts in executive and academic fields. ANP and DEMATEL Multivariate decision making techniques were used for data analysis and Kriging formula was employed for zoning barriers. The results show that the political-management barriers to public transport development in Ahvaz are divided into four categories: political-management barriers at national level (17 factors), provincial level (11 factors), urban management level (22 factors), and level of eight districts of Municipality of Ahvaz (5 factors). At the national level, centralized planning; at the provincial level, the weakness of organizational culture; at the level of urban management, long-term delays in launching projects are the main barriers to public transport development. Zoning barriers in the area also indicates that most of Ahvaz's areas are in undesirable range..

Due to the many problems caused by urban growth on the one hand; And the dominance of the paradigm of improving the quality of life, as well as the remarkable advances in information and communication technology and its remarkable capabilities, smart cities today are considered as an effective strategy to solve the problems and challenges of rapid urbanization.The city of Ahvaz has also experienced rapid urbanization in recent years; It faces many problems. But the problem is, this metropolis is not smart now, and it is just the beginning; So the question is what is the situation of the components of the realization of the smart city in the current situation of Ahvaz? Therefore, this study seeks to assess the status of key components of smart city realization and ranking of these components in the metropolis of Ahvaz. This article is considered among applied-developmental researches. It is question-oriented and has been done in a document-library and survey form;, which has been used in assessing the status of components, executive experts working in institutions and organizations in Ahvaz involved in the process of smartening the city. The data collection tool is a researcher-made electronic questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale; In order to analyze the data, statistical tests of mean, one-sample t-test and Friedman ranking were used using SPSS software. The statistical sample of this study is 380 samples that were selected by snowball sampling and supervised network. Based on the research findings, the situation of the key components of the realization of a smart city in the metropolis of Ahvaz, with the exception of smart people, was assessed as unfavorable. At the same time, the smart environment and then smart governance are in the lowest state

Recognizing the function and pattern of urban network activity in regional areas to identify potentials and assets correctly leads to effectively guiding spatial planning for achieving creative competitiveness and spatial balance at the regional level. The current research attempts to analyze the spatial pattern of activity accumulation and distribution in the urban network of Khuzestan province using a practical and developmental approach, along with a descriptive-analytical method. Activity and employment statistics of 78 urban points in the province, based on data from the Iranian Statistics Center and the regional survey plan of Khuzestan province, have been cited.The results from spatial autocorrelation analysis and the z-score function, as well as the Repilli k function, show that activities related to the agricultural sector have a cluster distribution pattern in the urban network of the province. On the other hand, the activities of the industry and service sectors in the province follow a scattered pattern. Spatial analysis of the activities in the urban network of the province indicates that due to the proximity of cities to each other and the close employment statistics in each of the agricultural, industrial, and service sectors, the northern parts of the province and the southern part (specifically the ports of Imam and Bandar Mahshahr) show the most areas related to hot spots from an activity point of view. Meanwhile, the service function in the urban network of the province, despite having significant employees, exhibits the most cold spots and dispersion, especially in the central areas of the province.

The present research aims to investigate and analyze the socio-cultural barriers to the development of sustainable public transportation in Ahvaz metropolis. The study is applied-developmental, descriptive-analytical. To collect the data, library techniques and field studies (questionnaires and interviews) were employed. It used quantitative research and the TOPSIS multi-criteria decision-making method for data analysis. The research population consisted of the eight Districts of Ahvaz metropolis. To determine the sample size of the expert population, a snowball sampling method was employed, based on which 15 public transport experts were selected. The research innovation is to present a relatively complete set of barriers to the socio-cultural development of transportation, categorize the barriers and recognize the spatial differences at the city level. It is essential that other researchers have not had such scope on the subject. The research results indicated that the socio-cultural barriers to public transportation development in the eight districts of Ahvaz are different from each other, so in Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, respectively, the weakness of organizational culture, car-oriented lifestyle, poor participation of duty units, lack of support for children's travel, irregular getting-on/off schedule, resistance to paying public fees, and poor observance of citizen's rights are the most critical barriers to the public transportation development.

The present study aims to assess of physical resilience, environmental and hazards indicators in the cities of Abadan and Khorramshahr. The research tool was a researcher - made questionnaire that based on the results of Cronbach's alpha method with minimum reliability coefficient (0.7), approved for each dimension of urban resilience. The statistical population of the present study included academic experts, experts and institutional - organizational managers that based on the method Purposive and chain - referral sampling, a total of (106) people who had sufficient knowledge and experience in the field of urban resilience and knowledge of the study area were selected and they were questioned. In order to analyze the data, SPSS statistical analysis software was used. The innovation of the present study is in presenting and measuring the harmonious indicators of urban resilience based on physical, environmental and hazard dimensions in the cities of Abadan and Khorramshahr. Based on the calculated values for each of the dimensions of urban resilience (environmental, physical - infrastructure and hazards resilience), the results of the study indicate the unstable and unsuitable resilience situation of Abadan and Khorramshahr cities and there is a significant difference between existing resilience and optimal resilience.

So far, some researchers have assessed the vulnerability and resilience of critical infrastructure, however, few have considered the two-way interdependence of critical networks. These researches on resilience assessment generally assumed that critical networks can return to their original function, while limited recovery (against disasters) is more practical (Xiao et al., 2022: 108). Critical infrastructures are responsible for various human functions and activities and play an essential role in societies, on the other hand, infrastructure systems are not separate and depend on each other (Yang et al., 2022: 606). Interdependencies between critical urban infrastructure systems significantly affect their reliability and performance and the resilience of modern societies (Magoua et al., 2022: 102). In 2017, the World Bank's City Resilience Program launched an ambitious resilience research and policy agenda. The main mission of this program is to "accelerate the change from mostly single-stream resilience operations at the city level to long-term, more comprehensive and multidisciplinary planning to build resilience" (Philip et al., 2021: 1).

Cities are facing many challenges due to excessive population growth and rapid expansion. To organize this indiscriminate growth, new planning models such as smart growth have been proposed. In recent years, the metropolis of Ahwaz has faced the adverse effects of unbridled growth, which necessitates serious attention to the smart growth model. The present research, by stating the necessity and importance of smart growth, has ranked the areas of Ahwaz metropolis in terms of suitability with smart growth criteria with a descriptive-analytical method. The study area includes the 8 districts of Ahwaz metropolis. The data related to 81 smart urban growth indicators for eight districts were analyzed in the form of 4 criteria: physical-land use, social-economic, access-transportation and environmental using the gray relational analysis model. According to the findings, district 4 is the most suitable and district 6 is the most unsuitable. Also, among the above-mentioned 4 criteria, the environmental criterion is in the most unfavorable condition in Ahwaz metropolis. Finally, based on the findings of the research, some solutions were suggested.

Institutional capacity, as an important factor, plays a bedrock role in the realization of smart cities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the current status of institutional capacity for the realization of a smart city in the metropolis of Ahvaz and ranking its indicators. The present study is a descriptive-analytical purpose in terms of applied purpose and methodology. In assessing the status of the components, it was selected as a statistical population by the experts of organizations that are involved in the smartening of Ahvaz metropolis or will be involved in the future; Finally, 380 questionnaires were completed by the statistical community; Which were selected by snowball sampling and supervised network. Data collection tool is a five-point electronic Likert questionnaire based on qualitative content analysis method; In order to analyze the data, mean statistical tests, one-sample t-test and Friedman ranking were used using SPSS software. Formal validity of the questionnaire with the opinion of professors and content validity using the relative content validity coefficient of CV equal to 0.78; And its authenticity and reliability were confirmed by Kendall coefficient W. According to the research findings, the status of the institutional capacity for the realization of a smart city in the metropolis of Ahvaz is not appropriate, and among these, the peripheral components and smart governance are in a lower situation compared to other components.

Today, moving towards smart cities is not only a reality, but a necessity in order to solve the current problems of urbanization, including in the city of Ahvaz, which is full of problems. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to analyze the realization of the smart city from the perspective of the macro components of such cities. This article is considered among applied-developmental researches. It is question-oriented and it has been done in a document-library and survey form; in an exploratory way using the exploratory factor analysis method, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Shapiro-Wilk tests; And a sample t-tech test and Friedman's rating test have been done in response to the research questions. In order to collect descriptive data, library and documentary studies were used, and survey method and questionnaire tool were used to collect analytical data. The statistical community of the research included academic experts. The sampling method was a two-stage cluster. ; Finally, 142 samples were selected. The final content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by the opinion of the professors, after some corrections, and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.878 for the entire questionnaire showed the desirability and acceptability of the reliability of the questionnaire. For the quantitative content validity of the questionnaires, 10 experts, familiar with Ahvaz metropolis, and the relative coefficient of content validity (CVR) method were used. Kendall's W test (Kendall's correlation coefficient) was used to measure the credibility of the questionnaires and how reliable it is. Based on the findings of the research, the situation of the metropolis of Ahvaz is not suitable in terms of the macro components of the formation of smart cities in the current situation.

A B S T R A C T The desire to travel and experience the unique and true taste of local food has become one of the greatest paradigms of the tourism industry. For this purpose, the present study was conducted to investigate and analyze the factors affecting the development of food tourism in Anousheh Street, Ahvaz. This research is applied-theoretical in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical and survey in terms of nature and method. Statistical data of the research have also been extracted from library and field methods (questionnaire). Data collection in this study was done by the researcher directly referring to the respondents and presenting a questionnaire to them. In relation to the objectives, the statistical population of the present study consists of tourists referring to Anousheh Street in Ahvaz in 2020; whose number was approximately 240 thousand people (Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Khuzestan Province, 1399). According to the statistical population in this study, the sample size, which was calculated using the Cochran's formula, 382 samples were identified. Finally, Pearson correlation coefficient, multivariate regression, path analysis and Friedman test were used to analyze the data. Findings based on Pearson coefficient showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between environmental-physical factors, advertising-marketing factors, personality factors, attitudes and motivational factors and cultural factors with the development of food tourism in this street. Also, the findings of multiple regression analysis showed that approximately 44% of the variance of food tourism development is explained by environmental-physical and cultural factors. Also, according to beta values, cultural factors (Beta = 0.43) and environmental-physical factors (Beta = 0.21) are the strongest variables to predict the development of food tourism on Anousheh Street in Ahvaz, respectively. Findings from the path analysis test showed that the independent variables of the study to a high extent can explain the variance of the food tourism development variable And is estimated to be above average. Finally, the findings of Friedman test showed that there is a significant difference between at least two independent variables in terms of the impact on the development of food tourism on Anousheh Street; The highest impact is related to cultural factors and the lowest impact is related to personality factors.Extended AbstractIntroductionThe tourism industry in any country is very important in the dynamism and mobility of the country's economy and what will be necessary and inevitable for every tourist during the trip is to eat in the host country or city. Food is not only a basic human need, but also associated with culture and has a special place in the tourism industry. The desire to travel and experience the unique and true taste of local food has become one of the greatest paradigms of the tourism industry. For this purpose, the present study was conducted to investigate and analyze the factors affecting the development of food tourism in Anousheh Street, Ahvaz. MethodologyThis research is applied-theoretical in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical and survey in terms of nature and method. Statistical data of the research have also been extracted from library and field methods (questionnaire). Data collection in this study was done by the researcher directly referring to the respondents and presenting a questionnaire to them. In relation to the objectives, the statistical population of the present study consists of tourists referring to Anousheh Street in Ahvaz in 2020; whose number was approximately 240 thousand people (Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Khuzestan Province, 1399). According to the statistical population in this study, the sample size, which was calculated using the Cochran's formula, 382 samples were identified. Finally, Pearson correlation coefficient, multivariate regression, path analysis and Friedman test were used to analyze the data. Results and discussionFindings based on Pearson coefficient showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between environmental-physical factors, advertising-marketing factors, personality factors, attitudes and motivational factors and cultural factors with the development of food tourism in this street. Also, the findings of multiple regression analysis showed that approximately 44% of the variance of food tourism development is explained by environmental-physical and cultural factors. Also, according to beta values, cultural factors (Beta = 0.43) and environmental-physical factors (Beta = 0.21) are the strongest variables to predict the development of food tourism on Anousheh Street in Ahvaz, respectively. Findings from the path analysis test showed that the independent variables of the study to a high extent can explain the variance of the food tourism development variable And is estimated to be above average. Finally, the findings of Friedman test showed that there is a significant difference between at least two independent variables in terms of the impact on the development of food tourism on Anousheh Street; The highest impact is related to cultural factors and the lowest impact is related to personality factors. ConclusionThe results indicate that among the factors affecting tourism development, cultural factors, attitudinal and motivational factors, advertising-marketing factors, environmental-physical factors, personality factors have had the most impact on food tourism development in Ahvaz, respectively. Also regarding the importance and ranking of variables affecting the development of food tourism, the research results are as follows:Cultural factors: hospitality (amiability) and appropriate behavior (rank 1); Nightlife (Rank 2); Food authenticity and cultural heritage of food (food differentiation with other regions) (rank 3); Observance of ethical issues (rank 4); General culture of the region (rank 5); Local traditions (rank 6); Feeling safe and secure (ranked 7); Cultural attractions of the region (ranked 8).Attitudinal and motivational factors: smell, taste and appearance of food (rank 1); Being together (rank 2); Observance of hygienic principles (rank 3); Escape from everyday life (ranked 4th); Interesting experience (rank 5); Genuine experience (rank 6); Social status (rank 7); Acquisition of knowledge (rank 8).Advertising factors - marketing: the quality of local food and creating diversity (ranked 1); Facilities and orders for production and supply of local and traditional food (rank 2); Local and traditional food brand (ranked 3); Information and Communication Technology, Banners and Billboards (Rank 4); Food Festivals and Festivals (Rank 5); Food tours for cooking training (rank 6); Food Tourism Guide (Rank 7).Environmental-physical factors: proximity to dormitories and the presence of people from different cities (rank 1), proximity to Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz (rank 2); Quick and convenient access (rank 3); Proper scenery (unique place design) (Rank 4); Environmental health (rank 5).Personality factors: curiosity (rank 1); Variety and experience of eating new foods (ranked 2nd); Pleasant perception (gaining peace of mind) (rank 3); Neophobia (trying to overcome the fear of experiencing new foods) (Rank 4). FundingThere is no funding support. Authors’ Contribution All of the authors approved thecontent of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work. Conflict of Interest Authors declared no conflict of interest. AcknowledgmentsWe are grateful to all the scientific consultants of this paper.

In recent years, the infrastructure systems have been mostly failed due to the increase in natural or manmade disasters as well as the internal and external dependencies among system components. The mutual infrastructure dependencies might cause more vulnerability and bring about cascading failures. The main objective of this study was to develop scenarios of geographic interaction in critical infrastructure during urban hazards in Ahvaz. The study was developmental-applied in terms of purpose, while in terms of methodology, it was descriptive-analytical done based on field study and document analysis. The study indices were extracted and related via combining the results of expert opinion and existing records. To develop scenarios, after identifying the variables, the key factors affecting each topic were specified, and then various conditions were defined for each variable. The identification of driving forces in Ahvaz infrastructures interaction was done using models such as “cross-impact analysis” using MICMAC software. In order to identify, analyze, and adopt selected scenarios, cross-impact balance analysis was run in ScenarioWizard software. The inspection of scenario screen in ScenarioWizard software showed that from among 80 existing settings of critical infrastructure spatial interaction drivers, 26 cases (32.5 percent) were in statistic form and 25 cases (3.125 percent) in critical conditions.

Many cities around the world today are trying to make policy in order to become a smart city. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the policy strategies driving the transition to a smart city by using the analysis of the basic components of the realization of such cities in the metropolis of Ahvaz. Based on the research findings, 8 components of smart environment, smart economy, smart life, smart governance, smart people, information and communication technology, side factors and flexibility of citizens using exploratory factor analysis method - as effective components in the transition Ahvaz was identified as a smart city. Then, a model of smartening of Ahvaz metropolis was presented. Based on this model, to achieve a productive, humanistic, healthy, competitive and sustainable development city with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life; In the context of smart environment, smart life and smart economy, policymakers need to pay special attention to the three components of the driving force and engine of the smart city, namely people, institution (smart governance and institutional actors).

Today, the perform of the smart city as a famous paradigm in the world in order to get rid of the growing problems and complexities caused by widespread urbanization, is more important than ever Therefore, the present study, in order to use the theory of chaos in the framework of the paradigm of complexity and to understand the current complex conditions of the metropolis of Ahvaz in order to achieve a smart city in this metropolis did research.

The present article is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of method. The data collection tool is a researcher-made electronic questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale; In order to analyze the data, mean statistical tests, one-sample t-test and Friedman ranking were used using SPSS software. The statistical population of the study is experts working in the executive apparatus involved in the urban area of ​​Ahvaz. The statistical sample of this study is 380 samples that were selected by snowball sampling and supervised network.

chaos theory prevails in the metropolis and due to extreme weakness in the self-organizing balance component on the one hand and high power in three chaotic components of nonlinear effect, butterfly effect and unknown fascinates, the rule of chaos theory It is a serious obstacle to the realization of a smart city in the metropolis of Ahvaz.

Therefore, strengthening the power of organization in the metropolis of Ahvaz is of strategic importance.

In order to help reduce concerns caused by the increase in urban issues and demands of urban communities based on the capabilities of information and communication technology - a phenomenon called "smart cities" has been designedso,Many countries in various stages of the transition to a smart city, try to evaluate studies conducted in relation to their cities, including the observation of scientific societies; In this way, be able to identify weaknesses, in other words, neglected areas. But the problem is that so far, the studies conducted in the scientific communities of the country have not been evaluated and analyzed. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the process of smart city studies in scientific societies in Iran; To identify areas of low work and essential, to focus on these areas This research is of applied scientometric type; And content analysis method was performed. Data were collected from 310 articles indexed in the Civilica citation database for the ten-year period 2010-2011; Then, subject, time and geography were studied from three dimensions. Based on the research findings, nearly 83% of the articles were studied without a review method and in a descriptive manner; More than a third of the articles focused on a technological approach; And in articles that were studied; More than 35% of the articles focused on Tehran. Based on the research results, thematically and geographically; Also, there is no uniform distribution in the production of articles in the provinces of the country. At the same time, due to the ten-year period and rapid global developments, the evolution from review articles to applied articles is not observed in the scientific communities of the country.